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KU football's Darrian Miller excited to be back after missing final four games

Jayhawks running back sat out because of undisclosed personal issue

Kansas' Darrian Miller confirmed Tuesday that he "for sure" would be with the Jayhawks for the entire 2014 season after missing the final four games last year because of an undisclosed personal matter.

LAWRENCE — Kansas running back Darrian Miller is back with the Jayhawks ... and confident that a personal issue won’t sideline him further.

Miller confirmed Tuesday that he “for sure” would be with the Jayhawks for the entire 2014 season after missing the final four games last year because of an undisclosed personal matter.

“I’m glad that I got to leave and go home and take care of that,” Miller said. “That was probably one of the best things. I feel like it also drove me to this year with full force, wanting to have a good year. I definitely think it’ll be good.”

At the end of last season, Weis simply called Miller's absence a “personal issue” unrelated to football or academics.

After seeing action in eight games, including one start, the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Miller rushed for 322 yards and a 4.8-yard average before dropping off the depth chart.

“I didn’t want to leave the team high and dry just because how we had been working through things and how we’d had things set and planned,” Miller said. “But everyone was [understanding]. (Brandon) Bourbon did a great job of coming in and taking over, and James (Sims) continued to do what he was doing. Everything worked out.”

One thing that’s helped Miller since returning to the team was the hiring of new offensive coordinator John Reagan. Instead of feeling like he was catching up, Miller once again had a fresh start, as KU’s offensive players essentially had to start over to learn the new scheme.

“I definitely like the offense. It’s running-back friendly,” Miller said. “It allows us to just play instead of thinking too much.”

A year ago, KU’s running backs had a lot to process based on pre-snap reads. Plays could change based on a certain look that a defense was giving, meaning the seconds before a snap could be stressful for KU’s backs as they tried to quickly analyze what was happening across from them.

This year, things are more simple. The terminology of the offense is easier to understand, and because running backs are taking the play call directly from coaches on the sideline, they can focus on execution instead of diagnosis as well.

“This offense is really geared toward the running back in terms of making it easier for them,” KU quarterback Jake Heaps said. “Normally, it’s more geared toward offensive line and things like that, but this offense really helps out the running backs in that regard.”

The running back competition certainly seems more open this season following the departure of Sims, who finished as KU’s third-all-time leading rusher with 3,592 rushing yards.

Despite that, the running backs remain as one of the closest-knit position groups on the team, meaning Miller isn’t cheering against others competing against him like Bourbon and Taylor Cox.

“It’s not really fighting for it like that,” Miller said, “but at the same time, we do want to be the man.”

Miller, who was KU’s second-leading rusher a season ago despite the four missed games, doesn’t have the best size or speed of KU’s backs, but he has shown great balance and an ability to avoid defenders with an array of spin moves.

“I wouldn’t say elusive, but I would say deceptive, because I don’t think anybody’s going to get a full hit on me,” Miller said. “Just giving them a lesser surface to hit is probably my game.”

Teammates are just glad to have him back.

Senior offensive lineman Mike Smithburg said Miller was one of the first players to welcome him to KU after he arrived from Iowa Western Community College, as the running back introduced himself and also told him more about his own personal story. Heaps, meanwhile, described Miller as a “talented football player” and a “great kid.”

“The guys love him in the locker room, so for him to be gone was difficult for us,” Heaps said. “But he’s come back. He’s worked extremely hard. I think you can even see it in his physical self. He’s got himself to a level where he was at his peak.”